Sunday, July 22, 2012

Shepherd :: Five Months

Shepherd,

There's evidence everywhere of you growing. The clothes I fold and put away to be used for "another baby," the blankets covering our living room floor, the myriad books I am reading to try to get a glimpse into what these next few months may hold for you... they all show me how time passes swiftly. We can't believe how quickly we've come to this five-month mark, and we are so happy to be here.

These days truly feel like a golden age. You are so sweet, and you are so generous with your smiles. You nuzzle your happy face into my shoulder when someone pays attention to you and makes you smile. You like to pretend you are a shy guy. You love to watch and observe what everyone and everything around you is doing. You love the orange and black kitties that sit in your perimeter while you play, and this month you have started reaching out to them and understanding that they are soft and are interested in you, too. You know so much, and you love being known.

You chatter to yourself every morning when we put you in our bed while we get ready for work. Sometimes you sleep until it's time to change in to "school clothes" and go to Ma's house. If you wake up in the middle of the night, you will nurse for a while and then just start talking to us. It makes us smile, and it makes us thankful you don't wake up too much anymore!

I wrote about how much you want to move. You are an expert at the walker at Ma's house, especially at going backward. You spend a lot of time on your tummy trying to move, and you can orient yourself in the direction you want to go and roll/creep that way. You roll a lot, especially while sleeping.

We are so thankful for your sleeping habits. You go to bed at or around 7 p.m. each night and sleep until between 6 and 7 a.m. You take two naps that vary in length, but usually around two hours each. When we put you to sleep, you always migrate to one corner of your crib. In the last month you've gotten your legs and arms stuck in between the slots—a good case for bumpers, as you cry and cry if you wake up and realize your predicament. You sleep with a swaddle blanket every night, and we recently introduced your Ellie the elephant lovie. You love both.

Your crowning glory, though, is sucking on your pointer and middle fingers. You are an excellent self-soother, and when you have tantrums or get upset, you can always soothe yourself once you pop those fingers in your mouth. For a while you would alternate fingers and thumb, but you seem quite settled on those two fingers now. You almost always fall asleep sucking on your fingers, and spend a considerable amount of waking hours sucking on them, too, unless you're playing and exploring new things. I will consider this a hallmark of your fifth month, along with the drool. Oh my goodness, baby boy... the drool is out of control.

We love seeing you realize you are able to interact with the things around you. Gone is our bobblehead, and we now have a curious guy who loves to watch and be introduced to new things. You are sometimes hesitant to reach for new things, but lately, we've noticed that you love balls, linking toys, baby Sophie, and stuffed animals. Also, naturally, anything that you can stick in your mouth. You love exploring your hands and feet and examining each of your fingers. You grasp your feet and try to eat your toes. You gum everything, and you don't have any teeth yet.

You have continued to eat well and will get to experience solid food next month. At this point, we plan to give you milk exclusively until you're six months old. I am not sure how I feel about the idea of you beginning solid foods and drinking with a cup. I know these things are on the horizon, but they seem like they are coming too soon. I'll probably say that about all of your milestones.

You kick your legs and beat your chest with your hands. You are animated, but if you get too animated, you will get upset. You are getting better about sitting in the Bumbo and watching us eat dinner, but toward the end of our meal you often get upset and have to be held or sit on our laps as we eat. We think you might be jealous that we get to enjoy solid food!

I love that you are often content to explore by yourself. I can set you down for a few minutes on your playground and you will happily keep yourself entertained (for the most part). If you wake up, we might not know for several minutes unless we happen to peek in your room and see you in your crib staring at the pictures on the wall or counting your fingers or something else that fascinates you. You are a content little fellow.

Your bald little head is growing more and more hair. Sometimes we think it's blondish, sometimes we think it's light brown, but it's definitely coming in. You still have very dark tufts of hair on the top, back and halfway down your ears and lower... your pediatrician said you had a mullet and should be a swamp person for Halloween. He's a good guy, so we let it slide...

Your eyes have changed from navy to greenish brown. I think they're different every day. You may have eyes like your dad or Aunt Jilly or Poppy. You might get brown eyes like me. We will just have to wait and see!

You're our long string bean. Your legs are lengthy and your feet are big. Your dad taught you to blow bubbles, and now you two enjoy making noises at each other. You also do it when you're trying to get my attention; the ladies in Target think it's funny. You are laughing more and more, and sometimes even at me. Most laughter is still reserved for your dad and his funny noises. The little red mark on your stomach that we call your raspberry is disappearing, just as the doctor said it eventually would.

This month makes me excited for all of the things you are laying the foundation for. Your dad and I pray that you will always have such a sweet disposition and be so loving. You are sensitive to other babies; when one of the other babies at Ma's house begins crying, you do too. I can't wait to see you each and every morning. You are my little sunshine.